CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Trading Up 1.1% – Still a Buy?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP)’s stock price traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $43.38 and last traded at $42.85. 343,451 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 2,232,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.37.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $66.00 to $57.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $86.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $98.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.11.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Up 3.2 %

The firm has a market cap of $3.75 billion, a PE ratio of -10.00 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $42.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.67.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.15) by $0.71. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 981.54% and a negative return on equity of 18.46%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related news, Director John Greene acquired 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $44.85 per share, with a total value of $313,950.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $313,950. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 18,360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total value of $1,013,472.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 171,613 shares in the company, valued at $9,473,037.60. The trade was a 9.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Boston Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 2.2% in the third quarter. Boston Family Office LLC now owns 9,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC lifted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 0.8% in the third quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC now owns 26,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,238,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 12,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 7,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farrow Financial Inc. lifted its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. now owns 20,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $777,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics is a gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases.